NASCAR
Of the New NASCAR Winners, Who Had the Strongest Season?
2022 saw five new race winners in the NASCAR Cup Series. The most new drivers finding victory lane since 2011, this feat also surpassed 200 different winners in Cup history. These five drivers were all contenders in the Playoffs, with one making it all the way to the Championship 4. Who had the best season overall of these five new faces? Here’s a head-to-head comparison of each driver’s year.
Austin Cindric
The first of 2022’s new winners came in race one, as Austin Cindric claimed the Daytona 500. After his season-opening triumph, the Penske 2 would collect eight more top-10s, including a mid-summer stretch of four-straight.
In his first Playoffs, the rookie would get eliminated in the Round of 12, eventually finishing 12th in points. By no means a bad season, Cindric had a very respectable campaign that earned him Rookie of the Year honors. Winning The Great American Race is a career accomplishment itself that few will ever enjoy. Finishing ahead of very stout competition in his maiden Playoff run is also no small feat. The 2 crew will have a lot to build on for 2023, starting off with trying to capture a second-straight Harley J. Earl Trophy.
Austin Cindric’s Menards/Sylvania No. 2 Ford Mustang before the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 24. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Chase Briscoe
Capping off the West Coast swing, Chase Briscoe saw career win number one at Phoenix. Briscoe likewise became the 200th different NASCAR Cup Series winner, returning the Stewart-Haas No. 14 to victory lane. In a special moment, he had to battle two others on this list for that win.
Briscoe’s regular season was arguably more memorable for a few blunders that cost other drivers dearly. At Bristol Dirt, a last-corner slide job attempt by the 14 wiped out Briscoe and Tyler Reddick, handing that win to Kyle Busch. At the Coca-Cola 600 in May, a similar move cost Kyle Larson that win as well. Once the Playoffs began though, this Mustang became the ultimate underdog, sneaking his way through to the Round of 8 and nearly to the Championship 4.
Briscoe certainly turned heads in 2022, and almost upset the Playoffs entirely by making it to Phoenix. With a season stat line of 10 top-10s, a 17.3 average finish, 280 laps led, and ninth in final points, Briscoe definitely punched above his weight class. Briscoe was arguably a step above Cindric for 2022 with more late-season performance, but it was close between both Ford drivers. 2023 will be interesting to see if Briscoe can mature into a regular winner with a bit more consistency.
Chase Briscoe’s No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang before the Coke Zero Sugar 400 from Daytona International Speedway on August 27. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Ross Chastain
Nobody else on this list had more of a near-constant impact on 2022 than Ross Chastain. After finishes of third, second, and second, Chastain joined the winners club early in the year at COTA. This triumph also marked the first win for Trackhouse Racing, as few at that time knew the tear this group would go on.
Just four weeks later, Chastain found victory again at Talladega. While not winning again, Chastain did lead all drivers in 2022 with 15 top-fives and 21 top-10s. Over-aggression at times though from Chastain kept the Watermelon Man in headlines all season long. The 1 also made the Championship 4 thanks to the famed ‘Hail Melon’ move seen the world over. In his first Playoff appearance, Chastain was within a few tenths of NASCAR’s biggest prize, finishing second in points.
Truly nobody could have seen an expansion car at a second-year team being on the precipice of the 2022 Cup title. Ross Chastain’s rise to NASCAR stardom shows no signs of letting up, much like the 1 on that last lap at Martinsville. The next big question is can Chastain back up his 2022 run? Can this team perhaps reach greater heights in the new year? Replicating or even bettering a runner-up finish in the championship is a tall task, but far from impossible.
Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Moose Fraternity Chevrolet Camaro before the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 30. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Daniel Suarez
Both Trackhouse cars found victory lane in 2022, as Daniel Suarez rose up in Sonoma. 2022 was far from just a one-race highlight for the 99 though, as Suarez parlayed his first Playoffs to a top-10 run in points.
Multiple races escaped Suarez’s grasp this season, as the 99 was often in lockstep with the 1. With a full year of experience in a Playoff environment, all of Trackhouse appears geared for an even better 2023.
Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Commscope Chevrolet Camaro before the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 9. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
Tyler Reddick
Fast from the start of the season, Tyler Reddick did not reach victory lane until Road America in July. Despite not winning until summer, Reddick had multiple potential victories taken from him, each seemingly more heartbreaking than the last.
Once he got past that glass ceiling though, Reddick became a very regular winner. The next road course race at Indianapolis also saw the No. 8 win, entering the Playoffs as the eighth seed.
Postseason appearance number two did not go as planned for Reddick. A Bristol wreck saw the 8 eliminated in the Round of 16, but the RCR camp was not done winning. Reddick took win number three of 2022 at Texas, his first oval victory. Three wins has Reddick tied with Kyle Larson as the third-winningest driver from 2022.
Moving to 23XI Racing, Reddick is poised to take a step forward into possible superstar territory in 2023. The 8 meanwhile will be gaining an already-established legend, with Kyle Busch. How each driver performs in their new home will be a season-long story worth following.
Tyler Reddick’s 3CHI No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro before the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 14. Credit: Peter Stratta/TSJSports
The fast-approaching 2023 season will be year two with the Next Gen car. Can the car that led to 19 winners and five first-timers in 2022 see similar parity again? The crop of winless drivers had great depth this past year. A few winless talents do still stand out though. The first chance at another new Cup winner will be the 65th Daytona 500, as February inches nearer.
Written by Peter Stratta
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